The Rally 11/11

Moggy was only too delighted to be able to return to the alternate world and join in the search for his old owner’s daughter. Adam and Eve joined the Bell family and walked with them to Wilfred’s pool, much to the disgust of the goblin on path moving duty.

“Can the cat really talk to you?” asked Eve, “you’re not just making it all up as a joke at our expense.”

“Ask him to do something unexpected, provided of course that it’s something he’s able to!”

“Would he run on ahead and wait just beside the rope holding the end of your boat that’s furthest away from us?”

“Why can’t she just say the mooring rope at the bows of your lugger?" asked Moggy.

“Just get on with it and show her how well you understand us,” said Jennifer Jane.

Moggy dashed off in front and waited until the group came in sight again, then with his tail stuck up in the air he moved very slowly and deliberately along the bank to the bows of the lugger. When the covers were off, he took his place in the cockpit exactly in front of Eve, then turned his back on her.

Eve didn’t say a word but sat quietly, looking very thoughtful while Dave sailed the lugger gently through the fog to the Witches’ Home.

Moggy jumped out of the boat as soon as he could and raced up the lawn through the house and over the drawbridge. He was crouching low on the ground having a good look round, when everyone else caught him up.

“Lots of witches about,” he said, “but I can’t see any other cats to fight; perhaps it’s going to be a dull day after all!”

Followed by Jennifer Jane, Eve and the wizards who had been marshalling the arrival of the cottages for the rally, he sauntered off proudly along the pathways that had been left between the rows of buildings attending the rally.

Abigail and some other witches were already waiting at various places among the cottages, pretending to be only interested in chatting to the owners and explaining the magical properties of the buildings to any members of the public who showed an interest.

Moggy caused a bit of a stir once or twice when he stopped and had a good sniff around some of the front gates, but he didn’t go inside any of the gardens, which had been agreed as the signal that he’d found Morwenna. Occasionally other cats belonging to witches would approach at a run; only to be met by a snarling, “Go away I’m busy working for Jennifer Jane.”

It appeared that her name was as well known among witches’ pets, as it was among the witches themselves. He was nearly at the end of the last row and everyone following was on the point of giving up, indeed some of them were already moving away, when he dashed through one of the gates and scrabbled at the front door.

A very old witch opened the front window and looked out, “Moggy you little devil,” she said, “where have you been all this time?”

Then she saw Jennifer Jane running up the path with all the others not too far behind her. The cottage disappeared, taking Moggy and Jennifer Jane with it.

Abigail had been the nearest to the cottage when it was discovered and had been so close, that she actually ran on to the space it had just occupied before she could stop. Everyone else came panting up behind her.